NF 2012 Rules Changes

[MikeStrybel]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I agree with Rich that some states will require this anyway. But like in football that is a much more violent sport and a sport that has much more required equipment and we do not go to every helmet and check those on a football team personally. So it might be a litigious society, but there are other areas where the officials never check this equipment other than a spot check and I cannot think of a single time someone got in big legal trouble if something went wrong. This puts the responsibly squarely on the coaches since they agree to what is to be used anyway. But then again the penalty for every kid that uses equipment that is illegal can go towards a coach being ejected. So the penalty is much harsher where in baseball we only can give an out or not use the equipment based on when it is discovered.

Peace

Were you ever required to inspect player equipment before football games? Since that answer is 'no', you are again attempting to compare things that aren't equal.

In high school baseball, for a number of years now, the onus for player safety has been firmly on the shoulders of the umpire(s). The 2012 rule change still provides for the umpires to inspect gear if the coach asks. Umpires are no longer required to do a pre-game check, that is all the rule states. We must ask for confirmation of the conditions but no penalty is mentioned.

As I and others have mentioned, the questions we ask of coaches at the plate meeting remain the same. This year I had players walk into the box wearing a broken helmet (one that I had removed pre-game), using an illegal bat (-10!) and wearing jewelry (too many times) AFTER THE COACH HAD STATED THAT ALL PLAYERS ARE PROPERLY EQUIPPED. The onus is still upon us. Coaches just want to get the game going and we'll agree with almost everything we ask of them. This may have been conceived with good intentions but unless some teeth are added it is a waste of ink.